Ta'veren Tuesdays: Casting Matrim Cauthon

Mat Cauthon is a really fun character in WoT.  At the beginning of the series, he is a scamp--a girl-crazy prankster who is always in trouble.  He always tries to take the easy way around any task, and doesn't like having to exert much effort for anything.  He strikes readers as extremely self-interested and somewhat lazy.  As the series progresses, the pranks give way to gambling, and he is a rogue who is always trying his luck with the ladies--and he does fairly well.  His aversion to effort seems to shift more to an aversion to trouble and dangerous situations--and who can really blame someone for that? In any case, we are told that he has a wiry build. He is tall, but not as tall as Rand, and I don't remember much about his hair or eye color--so it isn't really mentioned all that often.  Since he is from the Two Rivers, it is likely that his hair and eyes are some shade of brown. Given all this, here are my casting picks:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

 I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt would emphasize the boyishness of Mat's character--women often treat him as if he still is a boy, even though he is the same age as Rand.  Other characters don't always take him seriously, likely due to his preoccupation with gambling, drinking, and flirting.

Tom Hiddleston

 Mat is said to have a charming smile, and Tom Hiddleston has a face that really comes to life when he smiles.  I think he could pull off the boyish charm (though in this picture, those creases around his eyes may give him away as too old to play Mat).  I think he would make an excellent Matrim Cauthon.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is showing up in more and more movies these days, but most will be familiar with him from Kick-Ass.  He has a self-assured smile that I can easily imagine on Mat Cauthon's face.  He may be a bit too er...beefy...to really call "wiry"--but that's fine because if he isn't appropriate for Mat, he might do very well for Perrin Aybara.  We'll be considering casting picks for Perrin next week.  In the meantime, any suggestions for Mat Cauthon?